Be Careful What You Wish For
by MegaBauer
Summary: An alternate retelling of a rather infamous tale in the Mega Man cartoon's library. A tale in which Dr. Wily finds a magic chest and plans to use it in his quest for world domination. But, unbeknownst to him, Dr. Wily is about to embark on a new quest, courtesy of the genie inside that chest, Lotos. And when he opens it, he will also open the door that leads to The Twilight Zone.
1. Segment 1

_**"Be Careful What You Wish For."**_

 _This story is set in the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon universe and is based on the episode "Master of Disaster," written by_ _Matt Ulitz.  
Inspired by the Twilight Zone episode "The Man in the Bottle," written by Rod Serling._

 _"Mega Man" and all characters therein: Copyright 1987-2016, Capcom.  
The Mega Man cartoon series: Copyright 1994-1997, 2016, Ruby-Spears Productions.  
"The Twilight Zone": Copyright 1959-2016, CBS Television Network and Cayuga Productions._

 _This fiction is rated K+ for a scene depicting implied smoking, and potentially disturbing moments for younger readers.  
_

 _No infringement is intended._

* * *

 _ **"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sound... a dimension of sight... a dimension of mind.  
You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.  
You've just crossed over into... The Twilight Zone."**_

* * *

We see moving images of a bright metropolis, which looks very much like New York City, sprawling with citizens. However, the technology far surpasses the kind we have today. It is unquestionably futuristic, like something out of Science-Fiction.

We then hear a voice - our host and narrator - speaking to us in a very unmistakable, dramatic, clipped manner...

"This is the future... well into the twenty-first century. Some of the sights and locales may be familiar yet different to you, but this is Earth. The same Earth as which we live in, only different. In this fantastical future, there are such things as flying cars, computers that need no wires and can fit in the palm of one's hand, human society living harmoniously with very few remaining prejudices from their past, and a new race of robot kind beyond that of any artificial intelligence we have ever known. One said robot is even the chosen Defender of the Human Race, an honest-to-Pete super hero resembling those in the newsstand comics. But, as wonderful as all this sounds, there are still unwanted relics from the past that still exist in this time... war and hatred. And the harbinger of both is a man who is about to uncover something which was buried long ago... Something never meant to be discovered again... and with good reason..."

* * *

We are then transported all the way to another part of the world, settling on a large mountain-laden area with steep waterfalls and caves, located near in the Middle-East. Inside one of the caves, an expedition was taking place, conducted by esteemed archaeologist and historian Professor Ahmeed Ramu. And joining him were the prestigious Dr. Thomas Light, famed robotics scientist. Also joining him was his most well-known creation, one that he considers his son, the aforementioned Defender of the Human Race, a robot named Rock. Although, he is better known the world over as Mega Man. And also joining them is Rock's robot sister, appropriately named Roll, and their robot dog Rush.

Within these caves, the group, led by the Professor examined ancient hieroglyphics depicting an Arabian legend about a phantom and a Rajah who lived in a mythical city that existed somewhere near these caverns. Dr. Light joined the expedition for his own interest, while Mega Man and company were here to protect them and whatever discoveries they find. Specifically, protecting them from any unwanted hostile visitors.

As the group made their way into one of the deeper areas of the cave, the Professor spoke in his Middle-Eastern accent, "You may be excited to learn that after years of research, we are finally on the threshold of the greatest archaeological discovery ever." Ramu then modestly added with a docile smile, "At least to my people's culture, that is."

"Just point us in the right direction, sir," Mega Man spoke kindly.

The group of five made their way deeper into the cave until The Professor found what he was looking for.

"There, up ahead," the Professor said, pointing to a wall with several colorful etchings adorning it. "There are cave drawings from Ancient Mesopotamia. I am certain these have been here for centuries. Fascinating! ... Please forgive me if I am over-enthused."

Being a robot, Mega Man was capable of several abilities that humans were not, one of them being advanced sight. The hero pointed at the wall, directly at an etching of a one-eyed, single-horned green phantom. "Professor Ramu, something's up with that drawing. The green one. There is some kind of mechanism behind the eye."

The Professor and Dr. Light shined their flashlights upon the drawing and the single golden eye on the etching appeared to stand out.

"Hmmm... You're right. It appears to be the trigger for a secret door," Ramu said.

As the Professor began to approach the wall, Mega Man's sister Roll stepped close to her brother. She quietly asked, "He's not actually gonna touch it, is he?"

Mega Man asked back "Why wouldn't he?"

"I've seen enough movies where someone in a cave touches the wrong thing and then the whole floor falls through. Or a big boulder drops on 'em," Roll replied.

Dr. Light interjected, "You shouldn't worry, Roll. Those are only works of fiction."

Ramu added, "In my travels I have been on a few incidents like that myself. Though, nothing serious like that." He then briefly turned, "But, if that would happen, you'll get me out, yes?"

"Yes, sir," Mega replied quickly.

The Professor turned back to the wall and reached for the eye on the green cyclops drawing with his free left hand. After taking a moment to prepare himself, letting out a breif exhale, he pushed the eye trigger. When he touched it, the eye began to move into the wall the the guttural sound of stone grinding against stone was heard echoing through the cave, causing the Professor to backpedal several steps until he reached the rest of the group.

As the sound continued, the ground lightly vibrated and a plain area of the cave wall began to move inward on itself. The panel of stone then moved downward, revealing a secret compartment. The group looked fascinated as Ramu and Dr. Light shone their flashlights in the compartment. Behind the cobwebs and dust lied something this group was not expecting to find. Something that would make this expedition worthwhile...  
Something that will prove it should have been left undiscovered... Something that could lead them into another dimension.

Professor Ramu reaches into the hidden compartment and pulls out a stone tablet, sporting more hieroglyphic etchings on them. But, these were even more of a find than the wall of etchings.

He exclaimed, "Oh, my!"

Mega Man asked, "What is it?"

"These stone tablets... the drawings tell the tale of the legend of Lotos! An evil spirit who was trapped in a golden chest. It was a fable, but nobody ever found any proof that it existed, or at least the other key part of the tale: an entire city that once existed not far from here. A city that has been undiscovered for centuries," Ramu said, in a state of amazement. "If these are here, maybe the city itself survived. These tablets may also lead us there!"

Dr. Light used his camera to take a photograph while Mega Man asked, "What else did the fable say about this spirit?"

"Not much is known beyond the legend I have always heard: An Indian peasant discovered the golden chest, and Lotos promised to use his magic to give him great wealth if he released him. After he was freed, Lotos was true to his word, and the peasant became a powerful Rajah. But, Lotos proved to be dangerous, perhaps even evil. Lotos was so dangerous that the Rajah tricked him back into his chest and left him buried in the lost city where he remains today."

Roll chimed in, "Sounds cool. But, you don't _really_ believe all that stuff, do you?"

The Professor remained silent at first as he studied the etchings on the tablets, and they appeared to paint a different picture than what the legend said. The first few illustrations appeared to remain faithful to the story, depicting a human figure discovering a gold box, opening the box to free a large purple phantom with one eye. The next etchings showed the human figure seated in a throne surrounded with piles of money with Lotos floating next to him.  
What followed, however, was a depiction of the former Peasant surrounded by even more wealth, a bevy of women and looking more imposing than he had in earlier drawings.  
The final etching depicted a destroyed castle and the Rajah on his hands and knees before Lotos, his wealth gone and his throne destroyed, appearing to beg at the base of Lotos' chest as the purple phantom loomed over him.

"Hold on... This is interesting... These tablets diverge from the legend I have always heard," Ramu said. "Maybe there was more to it than we thought. Even if we do not discover the lost city, I will take these tablets back to America and display them in a museum. It is where they belong."

Unbeknownst to the group in the cave, they were being watched. Behind them, a small, rotund, bat-shaped robot named a Batonton hovered and was beaming images of this archaeological discovery back to the aforementioned harbinger of war and hatred that our narrator mentioned earlier...

* * *

Above the cave, a hovercraft carrier with a skull design on the front end was on the approach. The name of the craft was the Skullker, and the operator was a man named Dr. Albert Wily, the man who Mega Man was built to fight against. Seated next to him in the co-pilot's seat of the craft was ProtoMan, the very first robot of today's advances series of robotkind, co-created by Wily and Dr. Light, and who is the brother of Mega Man and Roll. But, unlike them, he fights on the side of Wily and evil.

"They've found something, Proto," Wily said as he watched the live image of the Batonton's. "And I'm sure it will reveal the legend of Lotos!"

ProtoMan, who saw no purpose in Wily's plan of chasing after myths, scoffed back, "Ha! Who cares about a stone fairy tale?"

Annoyed with ProtoMan's abrasive attitude, Wily shot back, "Its no fairy tale! They will lead me to the magic chest containing Lotos, and in it: more power than you or I have ever dreamed of!"

Behind his helmet's black visor, ProtoMan's eyes glazed over. He could not believe what he was hearing. "Now we're chasing magic genies. What's next? Are we gonna go lookin' for ghosts and goblins?"

Dr. Wily frowned at Proto. "You'll see I'm right, my boy. I'll be accepting your apology later! For now, it's time to strike!"

* * *

Dr. Light took a picture of the second stone tablet as Professor Ramu studied it. Light stated, "This one appears to have a map."

"Yes. And if I'm right, it could lead us from this cave to the lost city. Maybe the golden chest is still there. We can recover it," Ramu said. He then added, "I would not dare open it. Even keeping it in a museum would be a bad idea. If the legend is true, Lotos yields great power. And if it fell into the wrong hands, it could be extremely dangerous."

The Professor kneeled down to his open messenger bag and placed the pair of tablets inside it. No sooner did the tablets get tucked away that the cave started to rumble again, much stronger this time, putting everyone on alert.

Ramu asked, "Is that another secret door?"

Mega replied, "No. That was an impact! We've got company!"

No sooner did the words come out of Mega Man's mouth that a second explosive rumble occurred, this time emanating from the tunnel where the group entered to get here, and behind it came a thin cloud of dust that filled the cave. The force of the second impact was so strong that the structural integrity of the cave itself had been compromised, and the stone walls begin to crack under the pressure. A large chunk of the 'ceiling' of this part of the cave soon broke off and it was about to fall on top of Dr. Light.

"Dr. Light! Look out!" cried Mega Man as he leaped like a dart, directly for his creator, getting him out of the way of the debris as it fell, saving him of certain death.

Dr. Light let slip a pained grunt after the landing, causing Mega Man to check on him. "Are you okay?"

"Quite a rough landing, but I'm fine," the good Doctor replied.

Afterwards, a third explosive impact was heard and felt through the cave. If there was any doubt as to what was going on before, there certainly was not any further.

Kneeling next to his canine companion, Mega Man spoke. "It's Wily, alright. Rush, jet mode!"

The robot dog barked and his body changed shape into a flatter form and rocket boosters protruded from the back of his body. Mega Man then stood atop Rush and the pair soared out of the cave to fend off the approaching threat.

* * *

At a construction area not far outside the cave waited two robots named GutsMan and Drill Man, two in a series of robots called the Robot Masters, used as weapons in Dr. Wily's war to conquer the world. GutsMan was capable of intense strength, as his massive size could dictate. Drill Man had two all-purpose drills for hands, and sported a third atop his head. He was capable of firing either of the drills from his hands during combat, and that is exactly what he did when he saw the first glimpse of Mega Man and his dog Rush flying out of the cave's entrance.

As Mega Man and his dog saw the Driller projectile heading in their direction, they changed their trajectory several degrees and flew out of the way of it, allowing the hero a clear shot to use his weapon on his opponent. Mega Man's left hand retracted into its forearm and he fired a single shot from his built-in plasma energy cannon (or alternatively "Blaster" or "Buster" as it is sometimes referred to) at Drill Man. The shot struck him in the middle of his titanium chest armor, knocking him off the nearby supply shed he was standing on. The robot landed with a loud crash on top of a stack of large steel pipes and was left incapacitated for the time being, but the threat of GutsMan remained.

He bellowed in his gruff voice, "Hey, Mega Punk! Hungry for some action? Try _this_ for an appetizer!"

GutsMan stood next to a wooden crate of explosives and bashed his large right hand through the lid, pulling out several sticks of dynamite. These sticks are made with an easy ignition fuse that is triggered when the top end of the stick is pressed down. GutsMan ignited the sticks, but instead of throwing them at Mega Man, he decided to be cute about it and put them in his mouth to spit them out towards Mega Man and Rush.

The hissing dynamite sticks flew in Mega Man's and Rush's direction after GutsMan spat them in their direction, and while Rush dove to his left, Mega Man tried to flip backwards behind a mound of large stone and rocks to avoid the concussion of the explosives. The sticks detonated just before impact, creating a crater in the ground and kicking up a large cloud of dust around it, obscuring the surrounding area. When the dust cleared, Mega Man was face-down on the ground.

GutsMan was happy with himself, rushing to the conclusion that he had just bested Mega Man, and that when he was ready to strike again, he would put him down permanently.

* * *

Using a portable walkie-talkie, ProtoMan contacted Dr. Wily. "ProtoMan to Wily. We've got Mega Man under wraps. He'll be busy for a while. We're entering the cave."

Dr. Wily responded, _"Good, my boy! Get those tablets and get them back to me. Then, we will find Lotos' magic chest in the lost city!"_

Once the walkie-talkie was off, Proto complained aloud, "Yeah. More like Embarrassment City. Population: Me."

Cut Man, another Robot Master who had a large pair of scissors atop his round head, overheard ProtoMan's bitter complains and asks, "What did you say, Proto?"

Proto shot back, "Mind your own business!"

Cut Man retorted with a cut-related pun, (which is the Robot Master's verbal tick.) "You'd better _cut_ the attitude, Proto. Dr. Wily's going to to get sick of it one day."

Proto shot back with annoyance, "If we find this magic genie, _if_ it even exists, the first thing I'm gonna do is wish for you to knock it off with the scissor puns!"

As the group entered the cave along with a third Robot Master named Gravity Man, whose power was the ability to use gravity itself as a weapon, Proto complained aloud to himself once more. "This whole thing is stupid."

* * *

Back outside, GutsMan grabbed more sticks of dynamite and ignited them, bellowing, "Time to serve up seconds, Mega Twerp!"

Again choosing to show off, GutsMan put the dynamite sticks in his mouth about to spit them out like he did before. As he did, Mega Man bolted back to his feet and fired two blasts. One directly at GutsMan's chest, which caused the Robot Master to stagger back. The second, weaker shot fired at the controls of a nearby crane. The shot hit the controls violently enough that they unlocked, causing the crane itself to lower, falling directly down upon GutsMan's head.

Immediately thereafter, the dynamite sticks detonated inside of GutsMan's mouth, and with the crane compressing his head, he was unable to spit them out. The end result was GutsMan's entire head becoming mangled in the explosion, with his eyes, shrapnel and wires sticking out. The robot's face was so hideously deformed that it would be better suited for a gallery of horrors... or, perhaps, a Night Gallery.

As Rush returned to Mega Man's side, the robot hero delivered a parting verbal shot. "You gotta watch those spicy foods, Gutsy! See you soon!"

GutsMan's only response to Mega Man's sarcastic advice was a plume of smoke emitting from his mouth and his eyeholes.

* * *

Back inside the cave, Roll was leading Dr. Light and Professor Ramu - who was carrying the stone tablets in his bag - out of the cave before they could run into any Robot Master entanglements. But, unfortunately for the group, that is exactly what was about to happen.

"We'll be out of here soon. We're not far from the entrance," Roll announced.

"Good. We must keep the tablets safe," Ramu replied.

Then, the wheezy voice of Cut Man was heard, interjecting, "Don't worry. They'll be in really good hands."

Cut Man pulled the round pair of scissors off the top of his head and flung them at Ramu. The Professor freaked as they approached, by they merely clipped the bag containing the tablets off his back by slicing the straps over his shoulder. This caused the backpack to fall to the ground, and the tablets came spilling out of the open flap.

As ProtoMan aimed his plasma cannon towards the trio, he remarked, "Good hands or bad hands. Either way, we're taking them."

With that, ProtoMan fired a shot downward and in front of the group of the Lights and the Professor, all three of which leaped out of the way of being hit by the shot. When the blast hit the ground, it caused a small explosion and further degraded the integrity of the cave, kicking up hundreds of years of dust which filled the open corridor, severely hindering nearly everyone's vision.

As Dr. Light and the Professor coughed, Roll used her left arm, specifically made with several household utilities and appliances built into it, to summon a vacuum cleaner.

"I better clean up this mess," she said.

Roll's left hand retrated into her forearm and a vacuum appliance appeared in its place. She then powered up the vacuum which began to suck much of the dust cloud away to clear the visibility of the cave. But, when the dust cleared, the Professor made a startling discovery.

He gasped, "The tablets! They're gone!"

The backpack which had been clipped from Ramu's back was still on the ground, but was now empty, the stone tablets missing. Instead of making a getaway with them, Cut Man had to gloat as he held both of the ancient tablets in either hand.

"Not quite yet," he said, followed with his wheezy laugh.

Keeping his plasma buster aimed at the group, ProtoMan proclaimed, "Well, gotta fly. It's been _not-so great_ seein' you again. Even you, New Guy. Sorry about the dust."

Before ProtoMan, and the Robot Masters could escape with the tablets, Mega Man and Rush returned and blocked their path.

"Take one more step, and you're _plasma_ dust," Mega Man warned.

ProtoMan kept his aim on his brother, who has also been his arch rival since this conflict began. CutMan had his hands full holding the tablets, but Gravity Man was free, and was about to use his uncanny ability to make things even more difficult.

Proto uttered to the bigger Robot Master, "Plan B."

"Got it," Gravity Man said, turning around and aiming both of his hands upward at the cave's rocky 'ceiling' formation. His hands then produced two translucent blue beams of energy that shot out, shining upon the rocky ceiling. As Gravity Man began to pull his hands downward, a whole section of rock began slowly but inevitably coming down; and if action were not taken in time, it would surely crush Roll, Light and Ramu at any second.

Knowing what choice his brother would make, ProtoMan taunted, _"Decisions, decisions,_ huh, bro?"

Mega Man chose to rescue his family and the Professor before it was too late. His older brother knew him well. Mega Man would never allow those he cared about or innocent life to be sacrificed to stop them, especially if there was a chance he could still stop this enemies later.

Mega Man and Rush raced for Roll, Dr. Light and Ramu as the large rock came loose and slammed down with a thunderous crash.

ProtoMan smirked, "That'll keep 'em busy long enough. Come on!"

The trio of Wily robots ran out of the cave where they soon reached Dr. Wily's awaiting Skullker transport. Once aboard, the transport's propulsion kicked in and took off away from the cave.

Meanwhile, Mega Man blasted a large hole clean through the fallen rock Gravity Man and dropped in front of them, clearing their path out, but it was already too late.

The hero spat, "They got away. Blast!"

The Professor became stricken with worry, briefly putting his turban-clad head in his hands. "Oh, no! This is terrible! If the second tablet truly does lead to the lost city and if that horrible man finds Lotos' chest, who knows what power he'll unleash! You must stop him."

Roll asked, "How are we gonna track him down without a map of our own? He just took it."

"Actually, we still have one," Dr. Light said, removing his camera from his pocket. He hit a button that instantly developed his most recent picture on the second tablet into a physical copy.

Mega Man took the picture and declared, " _Now_ we'll find him, Professor!"

* * *

Later, Dr. Wily's group had arrived to the supposed location of the lost underground city, which was hidden deep within a steep canyon, and whose only entrance was hidden behind a waterfall. When Dr. Wily and his entourage of Drill Man and Gravity Man reached the end of the tunnel, they stopped and made a most amazing discovery: an ancient city, well hidden inside of the canyon. The very same fabled lost city spoken of in the legend of Lotos and the Peasant. The city was lit by the sunlight above thanks to a large opening at the top of the canyon. Despite being abandoned for generations, the city looked pristine, and almost had a shine to it to the naked human eye.

"We've found it! The lost city! Now nothing can stop me," Dr. Wily remarked, giddily laughing as his eyes scanned the city landscape. It seemed that victory was finally his, provided he could find the magic chest. There was still one major problem that could prevent him from accomplishing it. Mega Man.

Dr. Wily was immediately reminded of this when his Batonton robot glided through the tunnel and hovered in front of him. As it flapped its wings to stay suspended, it spoke in an odd voice. "Mega Man! Mega Man!"

Wily assumed that meant his mortal enemy had somehow learned of this canyon and was on the approach. He turned to face his Robot Masters and gave orders.

"Drill Man! Gravity Man! Make sure that blue dweeb doesn't find me here! Stop him at all costs!"

The Robot Masters obey their creator, running back through the tunnel to encounter the hero. Dr. Wily remained and raced towards the city. He spoke to himself as he searched.

"The tablet says the golden chest is hidden inside a well. And I don't have much time," he said.

Dr. Wily was on his way through the city, searching for any kind of well he could find. Soon he stopped and looked back to the tunnel. Still no sign of activity. But, Wily knew he was alone and exposed now, perhaps the most vulnerable he has been since he began his quest to conquer the world. His robots were elsewhere to battle Mega Man, his transportation was a long way from here and Mega Man stood in his way, and if the legend of this magic chest was just false, his quest could reach a quick end today.

Wily continued his search for the well anxiously as he continued ranting to himself. "If only Proto was here! He would never let the blue pest get to me! But, no! He had to go running off to fight him again! When I return to Skull Fortress, I need to program a little more obedience in his behavior program. Or maybe a little less pride. Yes, that should.."

Dr. Wily paused in mid-sentence when he saw a lone water well near the lost city's central plaza, with a single ray of light shining down upon it.

"That's it! There it is!"

Wily ran up to the well and looked down it, but only saw darkness despite the light from above. He then grabs the rope leading to the bottom of the well and pulls on it. He feels something being pulled up with it, so Wily continued to pull the rope, bringing something, whatever it is, to the surface. And when it rose from the darkness, Dr. Wily's eyes started to become large and he began to grin when he saw exactly what this object was from the bottom of this well. It was the golden chest of Lotos, no bigger than a foot long and eight inches high, adorned with hieroglyphic-like markings along its sides, and on its lid was the marking of what looked like a single eye with an arched brow above it.

Dr. Wily's grubby hands snatched the chest from its basket and brushed the dust and cobwebs from it, and he held it as if he were holding the single most powerful item in the world. And for all he knew, it may well be.

"The golden chest! It's real! The power of Lotos is mine! All mine!" Wily clamored to himself as he prepared to open the chest, his hands moving ever so closely, his fingers about to open the lid...

But, for a few fleeting moments, time stops and everything and everybody is suspended in time, even Dr. Wily. Elsewhere in the ruins, we see what nobody else can: a man in a suit and tie with cropped black hair, holding a lit cigarette in his hand.  
This is our narrator, Rod. And he speaks directly to us...

"Portrait of a Mad Man: Dr. Albert Wily, criminally insane scientist set in his evil ways, on a quest for world domination. Dr. Wily is a man who, despite his best - and worst - efforts, always finds himself on the losing end due to the existence of a heroic protector. But in just a moment, courtesy of the improbable phantom who lives inside that small chest, Dr. Wily will be pulled from his failure-ridden misfortunes and finally get what he wants - for a price.  
Because, little does Dr. Wily know that when he opens that chest, he will also open a door that will lead him to the farthest reaches of... The Twilight Zone."

* * *

 ** _Continued in next chapter._**


	2. Segment 2

_**"Mega Man/The Twilight Zone: Be Careful What You Wish For."  
Segment Two.**_

* * *

Dr. Wily was about to open the lid of the mythical golden chest to unleash the power of Lotos when he heard a familiar and unwelcome voice behind him. It was Mega Man's voice, the last voice he wanted to hear at this moment, or any other.

"Drop it, Wily!"

Dr. Wily turned around to see not only Mega Man, but his sister and dog standing there with him. Albert became slack-jawed and stunned, anxious that he was caught here with no protection between him and his enemy thanks to his robots failing yet again. The mad doctor quickly hatched an idea: if he dropped the chest on the ground at just the right angle, it could open on its own and release Lotos. However, if the legend of Lotos was false, this little expedition would prove to be a very bad idea.

Barely grinning now, Wily replied, "As you wish."

Dr. Wily threw the chest to the ground and it landed at his feet at a crooked angle. On impact, the lid of the chest flung open, unleashing a bright golden light that shone straight upward and brightened the entire underground city. The event caused Dr. Wily to stumble backwards and fall to the ground while Mega Man, Roll and Rush winced at the sheer brightness of the light before them.

Roll exclaimed, "I thought all that stuff the Professor said wasn't real!"

Afterwards, when the light began to fade out, a plume of dark purple smoke emerged from the opened chest and floated above Dr. Wily, changing shape from a cloud into something human-like. The purple smoke shaped into the same figure depicted on the tablets: a muscular cyclops with no legs, talon hands with only three fingers and a face that seemed stuck in a scowl.

Dr. Wily gasped very briefly as he looked with awe, and perhaps a small amount of fear, at the figure floating above him. The legend was real. This was Lotos.

Lotos spoke to Dr. Wily, his voice deep and sounding like several similar voices overlapped into one. "You have released me. In return, I shall serve you."

Wily blurted, "Lotos! You're... you're real!"

Lotos asked, "What is it that you want me to do, Master?"

As Albert pulled himself back to his feet, he replied casually and pointed behind Lotos' form, "Well, for starters, destroy those meddling robots!"

Lotos obeyed, "Consider it done, Master."

Lotos' form turned to face Mega Man and the others, and Roll became concerned.

"Oh, great! How are we gonna fight a magic genie?!"

"We'll blast him back into his chest," Mega retorted without missing a beat, priming his plasma arm cannon again.

The hero fired a single shot at Lotos, however, the genie caught the blast in his right hand and instantly threw it back at Mega Man as if it were a ball. The reflected shot hits Mega Man on the way back, impacting him so violently that it propelled him backwards until he collided back-first into one of the underground city's many trees.

Lotos held his hands outward at the group of trees and spoke again. "Behold the power of my magic!"

Lotos then reached his hands outward towards the robot heroes, summoning his dark magic. And at that point, something unnatural happened. Something so bizarre it could only happen within the confines of a nightmare or, more likely, here in The Twilight Zone.

The trees within this lost city began to move, their limbs and branches contorting and stretching, moving like hands, reaching for Mega Man. The trees then begin to split apart in the middle of their bases, forming two eye holes that glowed red and a large gnarly mouth that made deep, unsettling moaning sounds when opened.  
The trees were alive and controlled by Lotos.

The tree that Mega Man had collided into grabbed him with its branches, wrapping themselves around his titanium body and picked him up as he struggled to break free. Two other possessed trees grabbed Roll and Rush with their branches as they stretched unnaturally to reach them, and the trees began to pull their prey toward them.  
Like Mega Man, Roll and Rush could not manage to break free from the demonic trees as their mouths began to gape open, preparing to have the robot family for lunch.

Dr. Wily snickered with evil delight at the sight at his enemies about to reach their doom. "Leave them to their doom! I have bigger plans for you, Lotos."

Lotos nodded, his lone eye staring back down at Wily. "As you wish, master."

Wily tucked Lotos' chest under his right arm and marched off to exit the underground city with Lotos himself hovering behind him. On his way out, Dr. Wily turned to Mega Man and gave him a vocal parting shot.

"Goodbye forever, Mega Man! When you and your pitiful family reach the great scrap heap in the sky, tell them Dr. Wily sent you!"

As Dr. Wily's howling laughter echoed in the underground city on his way out, Mega Man could not afford to pay him any mind, as he was busy trying to escape certain doom at the hands (or branches) of these death trees.

On the way out, Lotos looked back at his handiwork and the sight of the robot heroes caught in the clutches of his nightmarish trees. Being as powerful as he is, Lotos could have extinguished all of them if he wanted to, but chose not to. Before departing, he give a slight twitch of his head in the direction of the Lost City, like he was giving his trees a new order, then began following his new master Dr. Wily and the rest of his robots.

Right after, Mega Man was able to free his left arm from the grip of the death tree and fire a blast at its branch arms, breaking them off and freeing him. He then repeated the action, firing a few shots to free his sister and dog from the trees which were menacing them.

Mega Man, Roll and Rush gathered at the center of the Lost City, becoming surrounded by these living monster trees, which were not mounting an attack as fierce as it was a few minutes ago. It was like they were just menacing them now instead of attacking them.

Roll exclaimed, "We're surrounded! There's no way out!"

Mega Man confidently retorted, "There's always a way out, sis. Last time I checked, those trees don't have wings!"

The defender aimed straight upward at the rock ceiling of the lost underground city, firing a blast strong enough to blow a hole though the ground exposing the bright blue sky above and causing large chunks of debris to fall.  
Mega Man and Roll stood on the back of Rush after the robot dog transformed himself into a rocket powered jet board (his primary mode of transportation) and took off, evading the debris and fleeing the underground lost city.

Afterwards, all of the possessed trees that were controlled by Lotos suddenly froze up and became stiff once more, rooting themselves back into the ground and morphing away the frightening features they had just developed a few minutes ago.

* * *

Roughly two minutes later, Mega Man, Roll and Rush began to catch up with Dr. Wily's flying shuttle, the Skulker and time was now of the essence if Dr. Wily was to be stopped. With an actual magic genie under his command, the possibilities were endless and equally terrifying.

"Hit the gas, Rush. We're almost there," Mega commanded.

Rush barked, increasing the throttle on his jet thrusters to push the Light siblings closer to the Skullker.

"I'm going to find out what they're up to," Mega Man said to Roll as he began to step off Rush's back and atop the Skullker's rooftop.

"Be careful," Roll urged.

Mega Man kneeled on the Skullker and increased the power of his audio sensors to a higher level, eavesdropping on the union taking place inside...

* * *

"You are now my master. Your wish is my command," Lotos said.

Nearly beside himself with, Dr. Wily asked with a grin, "And I can wish for anything I want?"

"Whatever your heart desires, master. Whatever you say will come to be, one way or another, no matter the cost" Lotos confirmed.

Dr. Wily considered for a fleeting moment, and his first thought for a wish was quick. He stated, "New York would be nice... with _me_ as it's Supreme Emporer!"

Lotos said, "All you have to do is wish, and it will be done."

ProtoMan chimed in to Wily, "Why not wish for a trillion dollars, Doc? You can build anything you want. There's _no way_ anyone will be able to stop us! Even my bro!"

As Lotos' single eye briefly looked to his side. He sensed Mega Man was right outside the Skullker and he could have done something about it. But, he did nothing. Instead, Lotos looked down upon his new master, awaiting his command, awaiting to make his first wish become reality.

Dr. Wily responded back to ProtoMan with a question of his own, "Why wish for a means to an end when I can just skip to _the end_?"

ProtoMan grinned, "It's not exactly going to be the end, Wily. Not while Mega Man's around."

"Then, it will be the beginning of the end," Wily decided.

The Mad Doctor spun around in the Skullker's command seat and stood to face Lotos. "Lotos, I wish to be the supreme ruler of the world! I wish for every Government under my direct supervision, and I want my new castle standing in the heart of New York City... and I want to see this progress immediately."

"As you wish, Master," Lotos nodded.

ProtoMan stared out of the Skullker's front windshield and grinned, "Not gonna make a difference. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Lotos held his hands in front of face with his palms facing one another and those hands began to glow as his dark magic began to be put to use. The Skullker itself began to become chilly and a dark purple cloud began to form inside the shuttle and everyone inside it. The sudden show of power caused Wily's Robot Masters to react with shock and fear, and even ProtoMan was surprised to see this mist forming around him, yet managed to keep his composure.  
Dr. Wily himself began to worry, urgently looking at the fog is it began to cover him.

Lotos spoke, "You need not panic, Master. You wished to see your new world immediately. So, I am taking you there."

* * *

Outside the Skullker, Mega Man noticed the purple smoke appearing around the shuttle and hopped off the roof and atop Rush's back where his sister still stood.

"We've got to get back to New York. Something tells me things are about to get-"

Mega Man was interrupted by the sight of the Skullker 'imploding' into a puff of purple smoke which quickly dissipated. In an instant, his enemy was gone.

Mega concluded, "... crazy. _Very_ crazy."

* * *

The Skullker arrived to New York City in an explosion of purple smoke, flying towards the Empire State Building. Dr. Wily, who had kept his eyes squeezed shut during the brief trip here, finally opened them and saw that he had reached the city. When he looked out the shuttle's frontal viewport, he was unsatisfied with Lotos' handiwork at first.

"Your wish has been granted, master. Long live Lotos," Lotos spoke, folding his muscular arms again.

"This is it?! It looks the same," Wily complained, turning back to Lotos.

ProtoMan then spoke up from the front passenger chair, staring out the vwindshield. "Oh, I'm not so sure about that, Doc."

Dr. Wily spun back around to take a second look and upon closer examination, ProtoMan was right. While there were still airplanes and flying cars in the air and things looked like they normally would, there were some noticeable differences. This was the new version of normalcy in this world...

On each of the four sides of the Empire State Building there was now a large "Dr. W" logo placed for all to see, and several other buildings in the skyline were adorned with the same logo and were flying flags and banners with the "Dr. W" as well.

This was not the world Dr. Wily was fighting to rule anymore. This was now the world Dr. Wily _did_ rule.

"As you wished, master, you rule the entire world. Every Government and every nation is under your direct supervision, and that building serves as your new castle," Lotos stated, referring lastly to the Empire State Building. "It is now known as Wily Tower."

Dr. Wily's lips slowly curled into the kind of wretched grin he wore when he felt he had victory in his hands. So many times before that, victory had been taken away from him by Mega Man. But now, Albert had control of an all-powerful being who could grant him whatever he wished.

"Yes," Wily said in a low, satisfied drawl, "At long last, I am the ruler of the world!"

The Skullker landed by the front door or the now Wily Tower and a group of Dr. Wily's Robot Masters filed out to block traffic so their master could have plenty of space in the middle of the street to land on, which only enraged the New York drivers, who blared their horns and shouted choice profanities.

The Robot Masters then escorted their creator and leader inside Wily Tower. Strangely, instead of the passersby on the sidewalks and streets running and cowering in fear like they would if Dr. Wily were to show his face in the city, they appeared to be annoyed with Wily's presence. Some of them even angry with him, but do no more than give him angry looks or mouth him off, no different than an unpopular politician would if he or she would be seen in public.

This seemingly ordinary behavior from the citizens of his new city did not go unnoticed by Wily as he stepped outside, flanked by his Robot Masters.

"Welcome back, Dr. Wily," said the Robot Master Bright Man, who hose head was adorned with a large light bulb and had solar panels installed into his torso.

"There'sssssss no sssssssign of that sssssstupid blue pesssssst Mega Man or hissssss ssssssisssssster," hissed Snake Man, whose body was a cross between a snake and a man and who obviously spoke with a speech impediment due to his fork tongue.

"Follow us in, Dr. Wily," said Hard Man, a large robot with a barrel chested torso that was literally shaped like a barrel, "The Sniper Joes have the area covered, but you don't want to be out here long. Someone might throw their groceries at ya."

Dr. Wily looked around at the annoyed citizens who were hassled by his presence as he entered his skyscraper with the rest of the Robot Masters, ProtoMan and Lotos.

"These people! What is wrong with them? They're supposed to stand at attention and salute me! Or at the very least, be afraid!"

Lotos explained, "Now that you are the ruler of the world, your citizens have learned to begrudgingly accept your rule, and view you with no more hatred than a head of state with whom they dislike."

Wily snorted, "Even in my new world, these people are ingrates. Oh, well. At least they know who's in charge now. Now, where do I oversee my new world?"

"This way, Dr. Wily," Bright Man said, leading the group to an elevator in the Wily Tower lobby.

"ProtoMan can go. The rest of you bots have got to stay out of Dr. Wily's office. You don't have clearance without his permission," Hard Man says.

The Robot Masters who accompanied Dr. Wily in the Skuller looked at each other and Wily in confusion.

Dr. Wily brushed it off. "I'll give you the clearance later. Go now!"

As the rest of the Robot Masters shrugged and walked away with their cohorts, he elevator doors closed and ProtoMan had noticed that Lotos had disappeared.

He then asked Wily, "Say, uh, Doc... don't things seem a little bit too normal around here?"

"Why should it matter, my boy? These mushminded little taxpayers have learned to accept that I am their ruler."

"Well don't you think it's just a _little bit_ strange that nobody around here has batted an eye at the giant muscular genie we've got hovering around us?"

"Bah! As far as they know it's a new robot. Now, stop asking questions about this, Proto. I've waited long enough to take over the world, so let me enjoy it."

Proto sighed as the elevator travelled up. "Fine," he said, "But if this day ends with something out of left field like aliens or something, I'm out of here."

* * *

Dr. Wily and ProtoMan arrived to the top floor of Wily Tower where Lotos' free floating body was already inside awaiting them. The building's new look felt very cold and unwelcoming, with deep dark purple walls made entirely out of titanium alloy. In fact this felt like Wily's Skull Fortress out in the badlands. In other words, it felt like home to Dr. Wily.

The trio then made their way to a set of double doors baring the Dr. W logo on them, and when the doors opened, they entered spacious room where one of Wily's well-known skull designs was adorned on the wall at the far end, and in front of it was a desk console with two seats adjacent to one larger seat which was clearly designated for Wily.

"This is your command center," Lotos spoke, "You monitor your world and give orders to your global forces from here."

Upon surveying this room, Dr. Wily beamed with an elation he had never shown in his miserable life. He finally had what he wanted, and it was all right there in front of him.

He asked, "Isn't this great, Proto?"

Proto held back his unimpressed reaction and simply grinned back at his creator. He replied, "Just wonderful. You know, aside from the lack of fighting... and fighting's pretty much what I'm here for anyway... it's just wonderful."

"You and my robot army will still be put to good use by keeping the various nations in line through force and intimidation, my boy," Dr. Wily said unconcerned with Proto's desire to enter battle.

"And what about my little brother?"

"The robot man we encountered at the underground city is still present, Master. You did not specify a fate for him," Lotos chimed in.

Dr. Wily grinned, "With this kind of power, Mega Man is of no further concern to me. If he shows his face again, I will put him where I have everybody else: under my foot! Until that time comes, I will be here enjoying my hard earned tenure as supreme ruler of the world, thanks to you, Lotos!"

Dr. Wily plopped himself down into the main chair of his command room, bent his fingers back to crack his knuckles and grinned. "Let us see how and where I shall impose my will first!"

* * *

... Several hours have passed, and we see this by looking at the hands on a nearby wall clock zipping by until they rest at nine minutes past Six O'clock...

We then return to the sight of Dr. Wily seated at the same chair with ProtoMan to his right and Lotos to his left. However, instead of the jubilant and happy Dr. Wily we saw earlier, we now see a Dr. Wily who is looking rather dour, slumped in his command chair with his shoulders sagged and wearing a large frown on his face.  
As it turned out, being the ruler of the world was not all it was cracked up to be, at least not as he imagined it. This was not a dream come true. It was more like a grueling job that demanded much of its new employee.

Dr. Wily stared at several screens stationed in front of his large desk, each of them sporting the live feed of a call from the representative head of several of the governments who now answer to Dr. Wily, each one with a different complaint. And this crop was the _fifth_ group of complainers Wily had to speak with since assuming his now role as ruler of the world.

First was the Governor of the state of Montana, "What about the fresh water supply!? Do you really expect my citizens to survive out here in the dessert for much longer without it? If they flee to another state, our productivity will drop to nothing!"

The mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada spoke next, "Our robot processing plant had to shut down because the factory machinery malfunctioned! Where's the replacement?!"

Then, an aide to the Minister of Brittan (no longer a ' _Prime_ Minister' due to Wily's Rule) complained, "We are waiting for our delivery of security robots. Our people have taken to looting in the streets. Piccadilly Circus was in shambles right now!"

A representative from Italy complained, "The riots and looting has several of our cities in disarray too! Our police forces are stretched too thin!"

The voices of the complainers began o mount, and each complaint only made Dr. Wily grow even more annoyed.

"How could you do this?"

"What kind of a ruler are you?"

"You took over the world! Now you've got to manage it."

"You deserve to be impeached!"

"What are you going to do about all this, Dr. Wily?"

Wily slammed his fist on the table and snapped at every talking head on the screens before him, "Take care of your own problems!"

Dr. Wily shut off all the monitors at once and slapped his balding head with both of his hands as he leaned own on the desk.

Albert bemoaned aloud, "What have I gotten my self into?"

ProtoMan remarked, "Hey, Doc, you think we should take this magic guy and his little box up to the nearest curio shop before he does any _more_ damage?"

Lotos became displeased with ProtoMan's words and warned, "If I were you, I would temper thy tongue."

Dr. Wily stood from his chair, keeping himself between ProtoMan and Lotots. "There is no need for arguments. I just need to show them all who's in charge here now, by force!"

Then, the voice of GutsMan could be herd echoing in the command room via the intercom system. _"Dr. Wily! Mega Man is on his way, and it looks like the blue dweeb's ready to fight."_

ProtoMan grinned, "Looks like you don't have time for that now, Doc. You should've just left that chest back there in that underground dump and let me handle everything."

A perturbed Dr. Wily barked, "Bah! I wish you would shut-up!"

Lotos then spoke and held his hands outward at ProtoMan. "As you wish, Master!"

Dr. Wily gasped, realizing what he had just done by accidentally making this his next wish, and frantically waved his arms in front of Lotos to stop him. But, it was already too late.

"Your wish has been fulfilled, Master," Lotos said, nodding at Wily.

When Wily turns back around, his eyes became wide as he saw the rather unsettling sight of ProtoMan now missing his mouth and the synthetic skin on his jaw now entirely grafted over where his mouth just was a few seconds ago. Proto panicked as he tried to speak yet no sound came out, feeling his flat face with his hands.

"No! Lotos, I wish for you to..." Wily stopped himself and slammed his fist on the desk. "I can't! I'll have to use my last wish just to fix him!"

Lotos then spoke, "I must inform you, Master, you are not limited to a mere three wishes."

Wily blurted, "I'm not?!"

"No, Master. You have more wishes to use beyond your next one. But, be warned, you do not have _unlimited_ wishes. I will let you know when you have one remaining wish."

Dr. Wily smiled and straightened his lab coat. "In that case, I wish for ProtoMan to have his ability to speak returned to him at once."

"As you wish," Lotos obeyed, holding his right hand outward to reverse the effects he put on ProtoMan.

Dr. Wily watched as Proto's mouth returned to his face, magically reappearing qith a puff of purple smoke. But, in a fit of anger, ProtoMan yelled and powered up his buster cannon, shooting out every one of the monitors placed in front of Dr. Wily's desk.

Afterwards, Proto pointed his right finger at Dr. Wily and shouted, "Don't you EVER do that to me again!"

Wily profusely apologized with his hands up, "I'm sorry, Proto! Truly! Let's deal with Mega Man first."

Dr. Wily snatched a microphone off his desk and shorted into it and his voice could be heard echoing within Wily Tower. "Attention all robots! Destroy Mega Man at once!"

After a beat of silence, Snake Man hissed back via the communicator, _"Are you ssssssure about that, Dr. Wily? We don't want to causssssse any problemssssss."_

Dr. Wily stared at the communicator with a wide-eyed, dumbfounded expression, flabberghasted at what he had just heard his own robot say. He yelled, "Are you serious?! Have you forgotten what I built you for?! I order you to destroy Mega Man and to do it now!"

 _"Will ssssssomebody pleasssssse tell him?"_ asked Snake Man to another Robot Master on the ground level.

Albert grew enraged, yelling, "I made myself clear! Destroy Mega Man!"

Bright Man then came on the intercom and explained, _"Dr. Wily, we can't destroy Mega Man anymore! We can't even attack him or we would be in violation of the conditions of Earth's surrender!"_

Again, Dr. Wily looked bewildered. "What?!"

Bright Man explained, _"I know you're a busy man now, what with ruling the world and all that, but I have to remind you that according to the terms of our rule, we cannot attack Mega Man or his family unless he attacks first. Anyway, we couldn't stop him and he's on his way up with his sister now."_

Dr. Wily growled in frustration and barked an order to ProtoMan. "Watch the door and be ready for them when they enter. And when that blue pest is crushed, feel free to do the same to every one of those Robot Masters who let him in here!"

"You didn't have to ask me to blast _them_ twice," ProtoMan said, powering his arm cannon and training it at the double doors at the far end of the room.

Lotos hovered behind Wily and ProtoMan, saying nothing and watching, acting rather conspicuous for an all-seeing magical being. It was like he was waiting to see what Dr. Wily would do next and how he would react.

Nearly a half-minute passed as Dr. Wily and ProtoMan anticipated Mega Man and Roll, expecting them to take a heavy action like they were known to do, like say bashing through the door with weapons firing out of the gate. But, what they saw when the doors opened was something they could not have possibly expected. In fact, this was the most unusual surprise they have ever received.

Mega Man and Roll enter the room not wearing their respective blue armor or yellow and red jumpsuit like they usually would wear, but instead wearing business suits like an executive or diplomat would wear. Mega Man wore a blue suit and tie and was without his helmet, keeping his brown hair neatly cropped, and Roll wore a cream yellow suit and a tighter, more professional ponytail than she would usually wear.

"Dr. Wily, there is no need for violence like the old days, I assure you. The sooner you comply with our request, the smoother this should go," Mega Man said, calmly as he approached the table. Before he sat down, Mega Man noticed the blown out monitors that ProtoMan had just blasted.

"Well, Sizzlin' Circuits! Rough day in the office _again_ , I assume," Mega surmised.

Dr. Wily and ProtoMan, still keeping his blaster arm trained, looked over at one another, both of their faces wearing expressions that were worth a thousand words. Their arch nemesis was a completely different person (or robot) than he was just few hours ago. Gone was the courageous warrior who was ready and able to combat the evils of Dr. Wily and his robot army. Here now stood a businessman, negotiating with Dr. Wily instead of trying to overthrow his reign of terror.

Mega Man placed the briefcase he was carrying atop of the command table and greeted his older brother. "Hello, Proto. You can put that down now."

Dr. Wily's brow furrowed and be turned around to face Lotos, asking, "What is going on?!"

However, when Dr. Wily turned away from Mega Man and Roll, Lotos was gone and it appeared as if Wily was talking to someone who was not even there.

Roll leaned into Mega Man's left ear and whispers, "Now he's talking to himself."

"Told you he did," Mega quietly replies to her.

Dr. Wily turned back to Mega Man and could not find the words that it took to begin any kind of discussion with him. He just stared at him, wearing a bemused and frustrated look on his aged face, trying to adapt to this new version of his hated enemy.

After the pregnant pause between the two sides, Mega Man broke the silence. "Fine, then. _I'll_ start."

ProtoMan chimed in, "What I think Dr. Wily meant was, what are you two doing marching in here without blasters blazing? And why the heck are you dressed like two Robo Insurance Salespeople?"

Dr. Wily confirmed, "Exactly!"

Mega Man and Roll then exchanged a brief glance with one another over that question, sure that Wily and Proto's ignorance is just another stalling tactic, before Mega returned his attention to his older brother and Dr. Wily.

"So, you now don't remember the terms of the surrender?"

"Let's say that we don't. Remind us, little brother. It'll be good to hear it again," Proto grins, twisting this into making it sound like a means to goad his siblings.

Roll's eyes narrowed as she bit her anger back. Mega Man also took a moment to keep his cool before responding.

"Fine," he began, "The Earth's forces, including Roll and I, would back down and allow you to become the head of state for every country in the world. But, only if you agreed to to do your part and be the leader you claimed you were. And, if you were doing an unsatisfactory job, the representatives from the countries you now preside over would have us personally negotiate with you to ensure your cooperation. Does that sound about right?"

Dr. Wily frowned, "And if we would decide not to play along with you and your friends around the world?"

"If you don't agree to our terms, it could pretty bad for your new administration," Roll added with a hint of repressed anger, " _Really_ bad."

Mega Man briefly turned around, holding up a hand to give a subtle signal to his feisty sister to stay calm as he spoke to Wily, "But, that's why we have these negotiations: to avoid unnecessary conflict."

Mega Man then opened his briefcase and took out several sheets of papers before placing them onto the table before Dr. Wily, and it looked like legal documents. A contract. The robotic defender-turned-diplomat did not give Wily's mind the time to compute all this before he spoke again.

"This is a contract guaranteeing the nation of Zimbabwe the medical supplies they have been requesting," Mega Man stated.

"What?" Wily blurted as he gabbed the contract.

Mega Man pressed on, "They, along with many other nations and territories, tried to get in touch with you this morning, but they were told you were _'too busy on an archeological expedition.'_ So, they requested me to settle the matter personally."

Dr. Wily's face contorted into a look of pure disgust as he flung the contact back onto the table in font of Mega Man.

"I'm not signing this drivel! I don't owe the Zimbabweans anything! Whatever caused them to run out of supplies, they deserved it!"

After exchanging a brief glance with his sister, Mega Man spoke again to Dr. Wily. "I had a feeling you wouldn't be cooperative, Dr. Wily. And if I were you, I would strongly reconsider your decision before the Seven O'clock deadline, and that's in about five minutes. It would be a very bad idea if you didn't."

Dr. Wily then began to snicker at the threat of the now-humbled Mega Man. "Oh, says you? And what are you _possibly_ going to do when I _don't_ sign your stupid little contract?"

Wily pressed his hands on the table and leaned toward the suit-clad robot, proclaiming, "I don't see any plasma cannon built into your arm anymore, boy! And obviously, you failed miserably at stopping me from taking over the world! You're not a hero anymore. You're just a two-bit errand boy! So, I reject your demands."

Mega Man then stood from his seat, straightening his suit and spoke to Dr. Wily with a calm but intense tone, never breaking eye contact.

"Frankly, Dr. Wily, I would like nothing more than for you to reject the agreement. Because when you violate the terms of the surrender, you essentially grant me the ability to take you into custody. And right now, I'm right here in front of you, a lot closer than I ever was when we were at war. So, taking you in would be much easier than it was back then. And I've been waiting for you to mess everything up so that I can finish what I started two years ago. So, _please_ , Dr. Wily... don't sign it!"

Dr. Wily now realized the seriousness of his situation and how Mega Man could take this new world away from him before he could ever have it. His eyes darted to the clock, focusing solely on the second hand as it ticked toward Seven O'clock. As he saw the dreaded deadline approached, a single bead of sweat forms above his brow as he gulped. Meanwhile, ProtoMan folded his arms at his brother's big boast, about to respond. But before he could Mega Man cuts him off.

"And don't get any ideas, Proto. You could never beat us when we were at war. And, I'm sure you still can't now," he says.

Proto sneered "Is that so?"

Roll jumped in, "It's so."

Dr. Wily put his hand up to stop ProtoMan from arguing further or doing worse which would have gotten the mad scientist into even hotter water. He then grabbed a pen and took the contract form Mega Man.

Wily strained to be a good little dictator and play along, "I guess I will have to find it in my heart to accept your terms. After all, nobody wants a war, right?"

Dr. Wily leaned over the table and signed his name on the dotted line, then moved the contract back to Mega Man, who retrieved it. He then continued to force himself to exchange uneasy pleasantries with his arch-nemesis.

"Now, you two go and have a lovely day. And be sure to give my best to dear old Thomas," he said with a fake smile, referring to Dr. Light.

Shockingly, Mega Man looked sharply offended by the remark and Roll could no longer contain her anger, about to charge at Dr. Wily.

She barked, "How dare you!"

Mega Man held her back, quietly saying, "Sis, please. It'll only make things worse."

Again, Wily and ProtoMan exchanged a sideways glance, confused even further over this topsy-turvy new world.

After calming his sister down, Mega Man responded as he tried to suppress his own anger, "If he was still alive, we could have passed it along to him. But, perhaps you've forgotten about _that_ , too. Good day, Dr. Wily."

Mega Man and Roll left the command room of Wily Tower, both looking visibly upset and leaving behind Dr. Wily and ProtoMan, both of whom were astounded at what kind of world hey have been dropped into. Once Mega Man and Roll were gone, however, Dr. Wily turned around again to face Lotos' magic chest, now to find the large purple genie hover there once again like he was before.

Dr. Wily grew angry, seething, "What is this? This is not what I wished for!"

"On the contrary, Master, this new world is precisely what you wished for," Lotos reminded, "You _did_ wish to be the supreme ruler of the world, for every Government to be under your direct supervision, with a castle standing in this very city."

ProtoMan grew annoyed with Lotos' explanation, chiding, "So, your wishes depend on the exact wording of it. Right?"

Lotos confirmed, "Every word counts. You know that from experience, ProtoMan."

Proto sneered in annoyance, "Thanks for the reminder."

Dr. Wily let out a frustrated growl as he slammed the palms of his hands down upon the table. He vented aloud to Lotos, "When I found you, I thought I was going to have the world in the palm my hand and finally be rid of my enemies for good! Instead, I'm now a glorified superintendent and I _still_ get bested by that metallic punk Mega Man!"

ProtoMan stood beside Dr. Wily, offering, "You want me to blast Cyclops here back into his little chest, Doc?"

Lotos' singular eye flared and he levitated higher as he warned, "That would be your last mistake..."

The Genie's purple body then began to glow so brightly that it was nearly impossible for the naked human eye to tolerate, and it began to contort and grow into a new shape, causing both Dr. Wily and ProtoMan to seek ground on the other side of the command room.  
Once Lotos' shape shifting was complete and the blinding glow surrounding him had ceased, his new physical form was visible: a menacing seven-headed dragon not too dissimilar to kinds from ancient mythology.

All seven of Lotos' dragon heads made a low, growly snicker directly to ProtoMan as a means of showing him that he was no match. ProtoMan once again armed his plasma am cannon training it at the intimidated Lotos Dragon, but Dr. Wily turned to Proto to talk him down quickly.

"Proto! Back down now, before you get us both fried! I will handle this."

Upon his creator's request, Proto disarmed and sarcastically retorted, "You've done such a bang-up job today... sure! You handle it!"

After giving ProtoMan an annoyed scowl, Dr. Wily spun on his heels to address Lotos again and became briefly startled once more at the sight of the seven-headed dragon before him.

"I sincerely apologize for ProtoMan's abrasive attitude. Please return to your normal form and I'm sure we can resolve this without problem, yes?... Please?"

After letting out a low level snarl, Lotos begin to glow brightly once more and shape shifted back into his normal form. He then spoke to Dr. Wily once more

"I should remind you, master, that if you are unsatisfied with this wish, you _can_ make a new wish to fit your expectations."

Proto muttered into Wily's ear, "Can we wish him to blow himself up?"

Wily grumbled back through gritted, yellowed teeth, "Do you want me to wish for you to shut up again?"

ProtoMan's annoyance became noticeable through his expressions and he looked away, folding his arms as Dr. Wily returned his full attention to Lotos.

"Yes, Lotos, I would very much like to make a new wish."

Lotos grinned, "What is thy bidding, master?"

Dr. Wily smiled with malicious intent in his beady eyes, cracking his aged knuckles as he prepared to give his next wish.

"I wish to be the supreme ruler and conqueror of the world! None of this Presidential stuff! I wish to rule with an iron fist! To crush my enemies however I see fit with impunity! And most importantly... I wish to live in a world where Mega Man never existed!"

This new wish caught ProtoMan's attention. While his brother Mega Man is his arch rival and he has always wanted to defeat the hero in battle, ProtoMan had always wanted to find a way to bring his brother over to his side, no matter how much of a pipe dream it seemed. This was why ProtoMan, despite having a scant few chances to potentially take his brother out once and for all chose not to.

ProtoMan protested, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're just gonna wipe my brother off the face of the Earth?"

"That's the idea, Proto! Now, be quiet!"

Lotos spoke again, "Your wish is granted, master."

Before ProtoMan could argue further, Lotos reached out with his hands and the world around Dr. Wily and ProtoMan began to change again, like it had before. But unlike last time, as the world around them changed Dr. Wily and ProtoMan began to change themselves, much to their surprise, as they were surrounded by the purple smoke...

Once the smoke cleared, both figuratively and literally, the horrifying new Wily-ruled Earth took shape. This wish proved to be Dr. Wily's most damaging one yet, for without Mega Man here to protect the world in any form now, an entirely new timeline was written and a new world was created.

Cities were visibly in ruin from the devastation laid upon them by Dr. Wily and his robot army. Banners with his face and "Dr. W" logo were everywhere and Wily's robots ushered groups of human captives in the streets to either be put to slave labor, punishment or execution.

Darkness, despair and fear were now the norm. Horrors like hunger, famine and disease were now widespread and every life inhabiting the planet was now oppressed, extinguished or putting up pitiful, panicky efforts to resist their conqueror. The most basic of civil rights were but a memory of a good time long gone, and it seemed that the better of a person ne was, the more likely they were to be punished for it.

This new world was one without a defender. Without a hero. Without the slightest trace of hope.

This was the kind of world Dr. Wily had always imagined he would conquer. It is the kind of world any malicious, malevolent dictator would proudly call home.

When the new world was complete, Dr. Wily and ProtoMan were standing inside of a complex built entirely out of metal, and they appeared to be standing in a control room with several robots performing their respective duties in Dr. Wily's grand robot army, overseeing operations to combat the dwindling resistance forces around the world.

ProtoMan noticed that he looked and felt very different now. His red and grey armor looked bulkier and more militaristic, the blaster cannon on his left arm was altered and he was holding a shield in his right hand. His yellow scarf was partially torn from months of heavy combat and he could feel that his mouth area was covered by something: a small red face shield built into his visored helmet.

He looked up to see Dr. Wily with his back turned and he too looked noticeably different. Gone was Wily's white lab coat, and in its pace was a black and purple uniform with a cape slung over his left shoulder. What remained of his grey hair was now not long and frizzled, but was now cut closely and combed back.

Dr. Wily then turned around, wearing an intense look on his face, revealing that his unkempt moustache was also trimmed down, now only a small square directly above his upper lip, much like a certain other dictator In history was known to wear.

One of the worker robots stood perfectly straight when Wily turned to face the rest of them and raised his right fist straight up into the air. He said loudly, "Hail Lord Wily!"

All the other robots around the area aside from ProtoMan did the same, all of them repeating in unison, "Hail Lord Wily!"

Dr. Wily looked in amazement at the salute from the robots and begin to smile wretchedly. He then commanded, "Yes! Say it again!"

All the robots repat once more, "Hail Lord Wily!"

Wily's maniacal grin widened. "Again!"

"Hail Lord Wily!"

"AGAIN!"

"Hail Lord Wily!"

Dr. Wily was now laughing uncontrollably, becoming drunk with power as he raised his hands high into the air. "Yes! I am Lord Wily! And I am the ruler of the world!"

We then hear Mr. Serling's voice speaking to us...

 _"Dr. Albert Wily had finally achieved his ultimate goal of becoming ruler of the world with his greatest enemy out of his way. But, despite his celebration, he is about to find out the cost of that victory. Because while this new world may be his, Dr. Wily is still within the inescapable city limits of... The Twilight Zone."_

* * *

 ** _Next chapter coming soon._**


End file.
